


Safe With Me

by Bloodedbeat



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Blood, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Romance, Saving each other's lives, Violence, hand holding, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-05 07:05:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13382673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bloodedbeat/pseuds/Bloodedbeat
Summary: Three times Izaya saves Shizuo's life, and the one time Shizuo returns the favor.





	Safe With Me

**Author's Note:**

> Ah~ Finally done! This took me four days, and I can only write well during 12-2 am haha so I lost a bit of sleep but it was worth it! I hope you all enjoy! <3
> 
> I apologize in advance if some sentences make no sense. I tried to fix ones that didn't.

The pale moonlight spilled onto the city of Ikebukuro, giving the whole city a light glow.

No one seemed to notice, however. The humans continued to walk and chat amongst themselves, never one glancing up at the sky before them.

Izaya Orihara wasn't like other humans, though. 

Perched on top of an abandoned building, he stares into the shining aura of the moon. Stars littered the sky like freckles on a newborn, wide and never ending. You count and count yet you still somehow lose track.

It was funny, really. How relaxed Izaya felt once the moon shone fully in the sky. He didn't much care for it when it went through its many lunar stages, but he couldn't help but enjoy the glow it gives off as a full moon.

The wind blew his jacket slowly, the dark black caressing the white of the moonlight gently. 

Content. That is how Izaya felt. 

It was strange, it truly was, for him to feel content at any moment. He was always working, always running — always doing something. He never let himself embrace the feeling of contentment and total relaxation. 

But tonight, he allowed himself to let go. He allowed himself to let his guards down, even if it's just for a moment. He allowed himself to feel an ounce of joy in the star filled night.

The silence that filled the night stretched on for several minutes. It was a bit unsettling, since everyone in Ikebukuro was always up to no good at this point. That feeling of off-ness is what made Izaya suck in a deep breath. 

He could relax another day when everything felt right again. The night was never this quiet.

As if on queue, a loud gunshot rang throughout the city. 

Crimson eyes lazily scanned the world below him, searching for the familiar shine of a gun. 

He always found it foolish to use guns. They were loud; they gave you away instantly. He supposes that someone could simply obtain a silencer, but close to none were smart enough to do just that.

That's why he always preferred knives. They were easy and simple, and didn't require an extra item to drown out noise. No, knives didn't come with as many problems as guns came with. 

At the thought of guns, the shine of a metal object in the hand of a large man caught Izaya's attention. He had it pointed strictly at the forehead of the person in front of him, and no one else. 

The man had simple brown hair and blue eyes. He was on the heavier side, and wore a tight fitting suit. 

The young man he was pointing his gun at wore a similar suit, though he had black hair and brown eyes. 

They were both quite boring looking.

He could see the other citizens of the city scurrying away from the scene, whilst other more curious ones stayed and watched. 

They wanted to see the outcome, no matter how twisted it may be.

Izaya finds himself chuckling softly, a bit of mirth seeping through his lips with it.

That was something he loved about humans, after all. How curious they were.

Leaning forward, he strained to hear the words that the gun man was saying to the victim he was aiming at. 

"Tell me, Now! Or I'll blow your fucking brains out, ya hear?!" The man waved his right hand dramatically as he screamed at the brunette in front of him. 

Letting out a low whistle in what can only be interpreted as awe, Izaya watched as the young male shook before the weapon. He looked absolutely frightened as he stared down the barrel of the gun. 

"I-I seriously don't know where it is! I took them where you wanted me to, someone must've t-took it! I swear it, boss!" The young man, seemingly his employee, put his hands up in surrender.

"How utterly foolish, talking about something like this in the streets in front of a crowd." Despite his words, Izaya still smirked wickedly. This was getting interesting. 

The abandoned building he stood upon was right in front of the scene, which made for a good view. 

The boss opened up his mouth, likely to curse out his employee even more, before snapping it shut again. 

Izaya found that the source of this reason was because of the blond that was quickly making his way towards the two. 

Blood colored eyes widened slightly in surprise, before narrowing.

"Typical of Shizu-Chan to ruin all the fun." He muttered out in dissatisfaction, resting his chin on his hand. 

He wasn't particularly thrilled about seeing his arch nemesis on his peaceful night, but he assumed he was only here because of the two men below him.

As if to confirm his suspicions, the monster of Ikebukuro opened up his big mouth.

"Oi, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" He practically growled out as he came to a halt in front of the the victim. His mocha eyes were wide with anger, his whole body buzzing with barely contained anger.

This should be interesting, he couldn't help but think. Every time Shizuo showed up during any kind of fight, everything became a lot more fun.

He was a large nuisance, but he was quite an interesting one at that.

"Shizuo Heiwajima." The boss bit out, azure irises glaring at the strong man before him. "I was hoping you would stop following that fool around like a puppy. I'm glad you're here."

Shizuo was still obviously seething in place, likely more so after the chubby mans asinine comment, though he did have the common decency to look a bit confused.

And, loathe he admit it, Izaya was a bit confused as well. Was the gunman planning on luring that monster here all along? 

A bad feeling settled in his gut. The raven never ignored such a feeling, though he felt hesitant this time around. 

It was obvious the man was planning on hurting Shizuo — or rather, killing him — but why should he care? The bastard had it coming, after all.

Then again, his mind supplied helpfully, Shizuo is mine to kill, and mine alone. 

With that thought, he pushed himself into an upright position.

"The things I do for you, Shizu-chan." He purred in delight, before hopping down the broken down stairs on the side of the building.

I'm his decend, he watched the scene unfold in the corner of his eyes. 

The suited man cocked his gun, taking a step closer to Shizuo. The blond looked unfazed, but even Izaya knew that Shizuo would easily die from a bullet in the head.

When the cold barrel of the gun rested against the monsters forehead, he could see him visibly freeze in place. 

"What are you doing?" Shizuo ground out between his teeth, glaring more menacingly when the man began to laugh at his question.

The blond didn't seem amused by his laughter, but he didn't say anything about it.

Izaya knew Shizuo wasn't afraid of a lot of things, given that he was basically indestructible in a sense. 

But guns always unsettled him. Izaya only knew this because he saw the many times the bartender looking man stilled at the sight of the weapon. 

"I wonder if a bullet to the head can kill you." The man pondered aloud, tilting his head to the side. Shizuo's hands were shaking with rage at his side, obviously wanting to knock the gunman out there and then. 

Izaya stops when he's at a close yet safe enough distance way. He couldn't help but wonder awhy he hadn't punched the man before him.

Until his eyes settled on the small group of people behind the chubby man. Although there couldn't be more than 5 people there, they all had large weapons, like machetes, out. 

If Shizuo made a move on the big boss, they could easily make him bleed horribly. It would be worse if one of them had a gun hidden from plain sight.

"What a pickle you've gotten yourself into, Shizu-chan." He leans onto the railing of the connected stairs. He just had to wait until the right moment. 

He just hoped he doesn't regret helping the monster of Ikebukuro. 

Pushing the metal weapon into Shizuo's forehead roughly, the chubby man laughs heartedly. "Maybe we should do a test and see, huh boys?" He turns to his small gang behind him, a dangerous spark in his eyes. He ignored the threatening growl that escaped Shizuo's lips.

His men all whoop and holler, cheering the gunman on. Nobody in the Crowd made a move to stop him, even though a large portion of them looked horrified.

After all, who would save them from Izaya himself? And all the other dangerous people in this city. Sure, there was the police, but Shizuo always butted his head into stuff that wasn't his business.

An amused smirk danced on his lips at the thought as he pulled out his flip blade.

He smoothly and easily opened it, letting it shine in the city lights that shown so close. The moonlight was easily drowned out by yellow street lights below. 

That was the least of his concerns, however, when the gunman slowly turned back towards Shizuo. 

He saw him brace himself. He would've thought he was easily going to take the bullet if it were anyone else, but knowing Shizuo he had a plan forming in his head. 

Unfortunately for him, Izaya was one step ahead of him.

With precise movements, he flicked his spare blade into a more comfortable position. Slowly, he aimed it at the gun mans wrist. He watches as it spins right towards the target he aimed it at, a grin present on his face all the while. 

No one saw it coming, luckily, and the steel blade pierced skin, settling in deeply in the gun mans wrist. 

A hysterical scream ripped through the mans throat, dropping his gun in pain. His other hand immediately flies to the injured one, cradling it pathetically. 

Amused, he smirks as Shizuo's eyes fly open wide in surprise. He only graced himself a moment of shock before he punched the man square in the jaw, making him fly into two of his members behind him. They all toppled into a heap, whilst the other three stared at Shizuo in open shock.

All the eyes that held determination before all were wide with fear as Shizuo stalked towards them.

They were definitely not going to feel a lot of body parts for the next month. 

Shizuo doesn't take his time at all when he beats up every member with no mercy. Izaya couldn't help but be slightly proud of the looks of terror and pleas of mercy that shakily left the victims of Shizuo's acts lips. 

It didn't take long for authorities to arrive, five men having to forcefully remove Shizuo from the big boss' body, who was now bleeding worse than before. He wouldn't die, though, since he didn't remove the blade from his wrist. 

The brunette that Shizuo basically saved was on his knees thanking him, obviously having some kind of breakdown. The blond kept muttering "Its fine, really!" And other things Izaya could care less about. 

The brunette did eventually calm down though, and was ushered away by a female cop soon after.

Shizuo — seeing as he was alone now, Izaya figured, was scanning the area around him, confusion etched onto his features.

Shizuo's confused glances around the crowd made a genuine laugh bubble from his throat. The sight of his nemesis looking for his savior was absolutely hilarious, only because his savior was the one person he hated the most. 

"You're welcome, Shizu-chan. Next time, try not to get yourself murdered!" He whisper screamed, knowing fully well that said person wouldn't hear him.

That thought only succeeded in amusing him further.

Saving Shizuo's life was strange, but wasn't unpleasant surprisingly enough. He just hoped he wouldn't have the displeasure of having to do it again. 

We couldn't have it turning into a habit now, could we?

 

 

The next time Izaya had to save Shizuo's life, the sun was dipping down the horizon. Orange and purple swirled together in a graceful way, making the sky glow wonderfully. 

Izaya took a moment to admire the scenery as well. The orange sun made everything it hit brighten the same color. Because of that, the area was beginning to dull into black and orange.

The street lamps would soon flicker to life and fill the night with its yellow light. That was something that would happen later, though, so the raven couldn't bring himself to fully care.

He was leaning against a street bench by the more floral side of the city. Yellow, pink, blue, and red flowers were littered all over the grass. Unfortunately, it was getting harder to see them because of the setting sun.

"Ah, so the night comes," Izaya murmurs with glee, wine red eyes scanning over the great amount of people in his vicinity. "And with night, comes all the gang wars. That'll be quite a treat." 

Anyone on the street in front of him right now could be a member of any kind of group. Wether it be The Dollars or the Yellow Scarves. It didn't really matter to him who was who, though, since they posed no threat to his own being. 

He did notice he was getting rather harsh glares or frightened stares by the citizens walking past him. It would've amused him to a great extent had it been any other day. But, the sky's pastel like colors mixed with the flowers in the grass made the informer feel a weight of peace.

With gentle care, he crouched down on the sidewalk next to the patches of grass that held all the different kinds of plant life. Reaching out, he plucked a tulip from the soil carefully. 

With the flower came the roots, pointing out in every direction. He didn't much care for that part of the flower, more the part that showed the most beauty.

The tulip had all different kinds of pinks clashing together into one. Hot pink, light pink, and dark pink.

A genuine smile curled on his lips, his eyes softening slightly. He didn't allow such peace to overtake him, especially considering he's usually always on edge, but the feel of the stem in his hands distracted him from that problem. 

After all, he's been working hard. More and more people have been asking for information from him, some more difficult to obtain than the rest. He did get paid tremendously for his troubles, so he supposed it didn't quite matter.

The sound of screeching cars and honking snapped him out of his state of mind, making him snap the stem of the flower he was holding in surprise.

He let the now crumpled flower fall from his hands, a frown now replacing the smile he held mere minutes ago.

Pushing himself up into a standing position, he turned to see what the commotion was. 

And oh, what a commotion it was indeed.

A black car was close to being in the middle of the side walk, startled passerby clutching their chests in surprise. It was obvious it had to swerve out of the way of something. With that obvious reason, his eyes landed on the two teenagers in the middle of the street.

He would've thought they were just idiotic fools that walked into oncoming traffic, but he could tell from their attire that they were apart of a gang he could quite place. He wasn't sure if they were good or bad.

The blond haired girl was sprawled out on the road, holding herself up only by her arms. She seemed like she was frozen in shock, given that her pale blue eyes were blown open wide. 

The male next to her seemed to be in better shape considerably. He was merely gazing at the the trouble they caused with indifferent brown orbs, his blond hair moving slightly in the breeze. 

He hummed in interest. They were wearing black suits similar to the ones the chubby gunman and his gang members were wearing only weeks ago. Perhaps they were part of the same group?

That would be a bit troublesome if they knew it was he who threw the knife. But he sincerely doubted they would even guess it was him. 

The girl scrambled onto her feet, grabbing the boys hand and dragging him across the street near him.

He was still a bit of a distance away from them, though, so he knew they weren't seeking him out specifically.

"Who to ask.." the girl muttered out, blue eyes gazing unsurely around the area.

"How about her?" The boy pointed at a raven haired woman a small distance away. She was sitting on the bench Izaya was leaning against not too long ago.

Smirking, he turned his attention back to the flowers once they started towards the woman.

Though he pretended to be occupied with the plant life before him, he was listening intently at what the gang looking teenagers were saying to the lady. 

"Hello ma'am, can we ask you a question?" The girl asked in an overly polite voice.

He heard a hum of confusion, before a soft voice spoke up. "Oh? Sure, what is it that you want to ask?"

The shuffling of paper didn't go unnoticed by Izaya, who was plucking the petals off a dandelion.

When the shuffling stopped, the boy finally spoke. "Do you know who this is? It's rather important for us to know who they are."

So they're looking for someone, his mind mused, a spark of intrigue flaming to life inside him. 

There was a moment of silence, the lady likely carefully looking over the picture, before a gasp of recognition escaped her lips. "Ah! I know who this is. He's rather famous in this city. Why is it that you want to know?"

He pauses in his actions, his grip on a small petal tightening. There was only a small portion of famous people in this city who were being tracked down by gangs, Shizuo being one of them. 

Of course, there is a chance it's him himself. But, considering Shizuo beat up a gang only weeks prior to this, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if it did turn out to be him.

Shoving his hands into his pocket, his right hand curling over his knife on reflex, he leaned back on his heels. It was a bit of an uncomfortable position to kneel in, but he could hardly care when the blue eyed girl began to speak again.

"It's important that we find him because of something he did to our boss." The girl explained, her voice devoid of her old cheerfulness. Now she sounded angry and bitter.

"O-oh, I see..." The raven haired lady spoke up, obviously putting the pieces together herself. "If you want to find Shizuo Heiwajima, he's probably walking around here somewhere.. I'm sorry I can't tell you exactly where he's at, I wouldn't know."

Izaya sucked in a harsh breath, the reality of her words dawning on him. Dangerous people were out to get Shizuo again.

"You really have a habit of getting yourself hunted down, don't you Shizu-chan?" He whispered to himself, a small smile curling on his lips. 

He may be the monster of Ikebukuro, but he was quite the knuckle head when it wasn't necessary. He's likely to get himself killed one day.

"I guess I'm just going to have to save you again." He purred, not bothering to lower his voice. He knew he caught the attention of the gang members when he turned to fully face them, smile widening when they froze immediately.

The sun was almost fully down now, only giving the streets of Ikebukuro a bit of light. More street lights were flickering to life thankfully, which gave him the ability to see the faces of the people in front of him easier.

"Y-you.." the boy uttered out in fear and shock, backing up slowly. He ended up bumping into his partner, who was too busy staring at him at shock to say anything.

"That's not my name, but I suppose I can let it slide this once." he shrugs, his smile easily turning into a smirk. He took easy strides closer to them, chuckling softly when they still at the proximity.

"So," he drawled out, leaning forward with his hands on his hips. "What is it that you want with the monster of Ikebukuro?"

The girl was the first to speak up after several tense seconds, though her voice wobbled with every word. "H-he stabbed our boss and b-beat up some of the most loyal and strong members of the.." she trails off, obviously not wanting to tell him the name of their little group. It was fine, he knew he would be able to research his way into finding out. "So he has to pay!" She ends with more confidence.

His smirk drops into a deep frown, his eyes narrowing at the idiots in front of him. Leaning back, he lets out a heavy sigh. 

"I can make this easy for you," he said in a serous tone. "If you leave Shizuo Heiwajima alone and let all your other friends know that I told you I won't allow you to kill him, I'll let you go." 

"What if we don't l-listen?" The boy mutters out bravely.

Izaya checks his nails as if it's more important than this conversation. "Then you leave here bleeding."

He expected that to be enough to scare the gang members off, but it obviously wasn't the case when he felt a heavy pressure collide with his chest. Luckily, all he did was stumble back a couple of paces. 

Crimson eyes looked into wide pale blue, and he realized that she was the one who kicked him in his chest. 

He stared for a long moment, before laughing. He laughed so hard, he had to clutch his sides to remain upright. Everyone in his vicinity was frozen in shock, even the lady on the bench. 

It didn't take too long for it to die down though, as he easily straightened himself again. "Ah, I have a policy against hitting women," he says, wiping tears from his eyes. The blond looked slightly relieved, but her stiff stature didn't relax in the slightest. "But, you're not a woman, and I'm not going to hit you." 

With that, he flicked his trusty blade out of his hand, and darted for the boy next to her. His blade stopped mere inches from his neck, and he could see the boy visibly swallow in fear.

"Now, as I was saying before you rudely decided to interrupt me," He smiles, his eyes trained on the female gang member. "It would be wise to let Shizuo be." 

"Why do you care?!" She blurted out hysterically, her eyes darting between Izaya and the blade only inches away from her friends neck. "You hate him, don't you?! You guys try to kill each other all the time!"

An amused chuckled escapes his throat as he pushes his knife into the skin of the boys neck lightly. It only did enough to draw a small amount of blood, but the male still hissed in pain anyways. 

"I despise Shizu-chan," he agrees, ignoring her look of confusion at the sudden nickname. "And I'm the only one who gets to kill him because of that."

With one swift movement, he retracts his blade from the boys throat, instead grabbing him by the collar of his dress shirt and lifting him up slightly in the air. 

Crimson eyes narrowed dangerously, staring deeply into mocha eyes. "If I find out that any of your friends laid a hand on him, I'll find you. And I'll do much more than I did today." 

The boy in his grasp nodded his head vigorously in response.

He smiled. "Good!" 

With that, he tossed the male into his female friend, who looked just as shaken as the other did. He tumbled into the girl, and they both fell into a heap in front of the bench.

"Sayonara!" He said with cheer, turning his back on the two gang members on the side walk.

He scared them enough to keep their mouths shut and their hands to themselves.

And really, that was more than enough.

"Ah, Shizu-chan! You're like a princess who needs a prince to save her! It's quiet tiring." He complains to himself as he walks away from the scene he caused, a smile on his face all the while.

Although he felt content with what he did, something was slightly irking him. 

"I despise Shizu-chan."

He was starting to wonder if that was really the case after all.

 

 

Not even the stars littering the sky like a beautifully articulated painting could make Izaya's mood change in even the slightest of ways, as he ran away from the scene he saw not long before.

Not too long ago, he exited the welcoming doors of Russia sushi. As always, the fatty tuna was excellent. Because of this, he was in the highest of spirits. 

He finished a rather difficult task for his work not long before the visit to the restaurant, so he wanted to treat himself to sushi on a job well done. 

He should've known that the day wouldn't end that easily. 

On his way out of the double doors, the sound of an ear piercing gunshot ricocheted in the unsuspecting area.

Losing his composure, he jumped slightly in surprise.

"It's barely eight o'clock, who could be firing at this hour?" He pondered aloud, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Crimson eyes darted around the surrounding area to find the exact location the source of the noise was located. 

Thankfully, he didn't have to wonder long, since two more loud gunshots fired nearby.

Tilting his head to the right, he realized it was coming from the street he was on before he came to the sushi place.

"Hmm, I wonder what could be going on?" He mused aloud, his lips easily curling into a smirk like it was a second instinct.

He trotted his way towards the source, humming all the while.

Although the people — or singular person — obviously had guns on them, he was certain he could hold his own against them.

He didn't train himself to dodge swiftly for no reason, after all.

It didn't take him long to catch the sight of two gunman sprinting their way out of a back alley, blood splattered all over their attire. Wicked smiles were plastered over their features. It was obvious they were content with the outcome that came after they shot.

Izaya couldn't help the spark of curiously that came alight, waiting until they were out of sight in order to quietly slip into the alley unseen.

It was dark, barely anything could be seen. Although the moon shone in the sky brilliantly, it barely filtered any lights into the shadowed cracks of the disgusting alley.

He snaps out of his thoughts by the sound of shuffling and groaning.

They're still alive, he realized with a jolt of shock. Three fires and they're still breathing? Amazing..

"Hello~? If your still breathing, clap twice!" Izaya said, amusement lingering on the edges of his words.

A moment of silence followed, before a weak voice muttered out into the darkness.

"I-Izaya..?"

Izaya felt like the world was collapsing onto his shoulders.

"Shizu-Chan?! You're the idiot who got themselves shot?!" He couldn't help but blurt out, digging into his pocket for one of his many phones. 

Shizuo didn't grace him with a response, which only succeeded in making a flame of worry blossom in his chest.

The shine of his flashlight provided enough light for him to see the person before him.

Shizuo was collapsed against a brick wall behind him, breathing heavily. Three gun shot wounds near the ribs were deeply imbedded into his flesh. His clothes were torn up extensively, and he looked almost completely pale.

"You're dying." He finally uttered out, no amusement in his tone whatsoever.

Shizuo opened his mouth to likely respond with an asinine remark, but all that came out was a wheeze before he broke into a coughing fit. Blood dribbled down his chin slowly, dripping onto the pavement beside him.

"We can't have that, now can we Shizu-chan? I'm the only one who gets to kill you, after all!" He forced his usual mocking tone out, slowly inching closer to the body guard.

He ignored Shizuo's slight glare when he neared him, gently crouching down beside him to get a better look at him.

He was bleeding heavily, all the blood quickly creating a small puddle next to him. His breathing was getting more and more labored. 

Izaya couldn't believe this, but he was worried. Really worried.

"Perhaps I've grown fond of you, Shizu-chan, but I can't allow you to die here." He muttered out, carefully grabbing his right arm. He swiftly tears the sleeve off his long sleeved shirt off. 

"Flea.. d-don't-" Shizuo started, but Izaya easily cut him off with the press of the cloth against his wounds. He hisses out in pain, clutching Izaya's arm that was still holding his right one. He chuckled softly.

He simply ignored his comment of protest. He didn't know how to explain that he just wanted to help.

The blood easily seeped through the makeshift cloth, drenching it in dark blood.

Izaya tsk'ed, though he ignored this minor set back and continued to press it into his wounds anyway.

He couldn't save Shizuo all by himself though, that was just impossible all in itself. He was no doctor. 

But Shinra was.

He lowered the blonds arm that he was grasping slowly to the ground. When Shizuo shows no protest towards this action, he quickly picked up his abandoned phone on the cement. 

It didn't take long for him to find Shinra in his contacts. 

Before clicking the call button, he paused.

How is he supposed to explain this to Shinra? He obviously won't believe he's helping his biggest enemy, and definitely wouldn't come if he thought Izaya was to blame. 

Sighing, he hesitantly chose the slower, but likely to be more effective, option. 

Opening his messages, he sent Shinra his coordinates, with the simple message of 'Emergency, come ASAP'

"Shinra might come if he thinks I'm in trouble," he mused aloud, not directly saying it to Shizuo, but rather himself. "Let's just.. hope?" He ends it on a question, not exactly used to doing that of all things.

Shizuo grunted in response, obviously too weak to respond verbally. It made Izaya smile with pity. 

Even though he's the strongest man in Ikebukuro, he would still one day hit his downfall. 

"Ah, Shizu-chan.. if you remember this, try not to get yourself in so much trouble," he scolds playfully, smirking when he weakly growled at him angrily in response. "I can't always come and save you!" He finishes, freezing in place when he heard the familiar sound of Shooter speeding down the street.

The sound comes increasingly closer, making Izaya smile slightly.

"Sounds like your savior is here, Shizuo." He said, pretending to not hear the small gasp of surprise that escaped the dying mans lips at the sound of his full name. 

"See you around then, Shizu-chan!" With that, he darts out the alley swiftly just as he heard the sound of Shooter pulling into the street connecting to it.

 

Beep.. Beep.. Beep..

The sound of a heart monitor echoed throughout the large pale colored room.

Shizuo sucked in a breath of surprise, quickly jolting upright in the bed he was laying upon.

The silk like sheets easily draped off of him, a large part of it pooling onto the floor just by him getting up in bed.

As if it was all dawning on him, his eyes flicked around the room in confusion. 

He originally thought he was in a hospital, but it turned out to be one of Shinra's guest rooms, if the picture of Celty was anything to go by. He seemed to of obtained a heart monitor quite recently, which was what initially confused him.

He wasn't wearing a shirt, and the bandages wrapped tightly around his chest didn't go unnoticed by him.

What also didn't go unnoticed by him, was the needles in his skin and the multiple wires attached to his body. 

Before he could question this, a voice beside him made him jump out of his skin.

"Ah, Shizuo-kun! You're awake!" Shinra greeted happily, a large smile adorning his features. He sat in a plastic chair next to his bed, something he hadn't noticed, and has a sheet of paper firmly grasped in his hand. 

"Shinra-kun.." he muttered out in surprise, mocha eyes widening. "Why am I here? What the hell happened?" He felt absolutely exhausted, which was the only thing holding him back from having an absolute mental breakdown.

"Oh!" The underground doctor suddenly exclaimed, as if he had forgotten for a moment. "You're here because you got shot by a pair of thugs!" His cheery voice boomed a bit loudly, making Shizuo's eyebrow twitch in annoyance.

He didn't stay annoyed for very long, though, since his words began to quickly seep in.

"Shot?" He questioned, tilting his head to the side in mild perplexity. He could hardly remember a thing that happened before this.

"Mhm." Shinra hummed in confirmation, waving his sheet of paper around gently. "You got shot three times, two hit minor intestines and one barely grazed your left lung. It took a bit to remove the bullets, and I had to find bags of blood that was your blood type in order to keep you alive, but you're okay now." The brunette said seriously, his eyes narrowing with concern. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit." he grinds out, hissing when he shifts back into the pillows more comfortably. 

"That's to be expected!" The mocha eyed doctor said with his usual cheer, the seriousness easily slipping away. He frowns before standing up from his chair. "It's best if you lay back for now, rather than sitting up. It'll hurt a bit less."

Shizuo grumbled in protest, but did it anyway, slowly lowering himself back down onto his back.

"You can stay here until you feel better, I already let Tom-San know that you'll be away from work for a little while!" Shinra smiles, placing the paper onto the chair he sat on not too long ago. 

He made way for the door, likely to leave, before Shizuo stopped him.

"Oi, Shinra-Kun, how did you know where I was?" Small snippets of his memory was coming back to him, such as bleeding out slowly in an alley. The rest was just a blur. 

"Ahh, Izaya-Kun contacted me, actually." He said, a bit of confusion seeping into his voice, though genuine honesty was laced in his words.

"The flea did what?" He questioned in absolute confusion, anger slowly building up inside him, although it was a bit unnecessary. 

"I was a bit confused too," he admits, turning to face him once again. An apologetic smile was on his face, likely sensing his anger. "He texted me coordinates with a message saying 'Emergency, come ASAP.' So I sent my beautiful Celty to see what was going on. When she arrived to the exact location, you were there bleeding out. You did had one sleeve of your shirt torn off, and it was wrapped around your wounds tightly." He explained, taking a deep breath when he was finished.

"So you mean..?" He asked incredulously, trailing off. Izaya, Izaya Orihara himself, told Shinra where he was so he could live. It was hard to believe.

"I know it's hard to believe," the underground doctor says, as if he could read his thoughts, "but yes, Izaya seemed to of tried to help you before contacting me when he knew he couldn't do much. I don't quite understand it myself but.."

"But what?" He asked, genuinely curious. He was too shocked to even be annoyed with the crimson eyed flea that invaded his life way too often.

"But.. I think he didn't want you to die there because a part of him cares." He seems to mean it, even though he says it unsurely. Shizuo knew it was because he didn't want him to lose it. 

He couldn't bring himself to anyway. 

Izaya Orihara saved Shizuo's life. 

And, unbeknownst to him, this wasn't the first time at all.

 

 

This seriously wasn't how Izaya thought his morning was going to start off and end.

Deciding that he was going to take a walk — And hope beyond hope that he didn't run into an angry Shizuo — instead of working that morning, he set off down the familiar street near his apartment. 

Thankfully, he didn't run into the blond haired brute. Instead, he happened to bump into a very, very, angry group of mobsters. 

"Izaya Orihara," a larger man ground out between his stained teeth, every word sounding like broken glass when he spoke in a raspy tone, "So you've been the one causin' problems for all the gangs around here, eh?"

"Eh?" He questioned, tilting his head to the side in an innocent manor. He put a finger to his lips in false thought. "I can't recall doing such a thing. That's a shame."

"Maybe we can re-jog your memory for ya?" A shorter, less muscular, man questioned the other monsters with a grin.

"Oh?" A smirk slowly slid over his lips, his wine red eyes crinkling in the corners. "And how do you suppose you'll do that?"

A dark chuckle escapes the first man that spoke, his azure eyes darkening in a dangerous way. "By killing you, of course."

Four members of the group inched toward him slowly, each harboring their own crazy maniacal grin.

"I see." Was his curt response, his smirk twitching slightly. He hasn't had a real fight with someone for weeks now, so some practice couldn't hurt. 

With a small easy swipe into his pocket, he grasped his trusty knife tightly and yanked it it out his pocket.

Though, none of them even seemed slightly intimidated. That was unusual, given that at least someone — even if it's just one person — usual flinches slightly at the familiar shine. 

"Well," he started, waving his spare hand, smiling brightly at the confused looks he got. "I'll be taking my leave now!"

Without a second thought, he spun on his heel, shoved his knife back in his pocket, and headed into the opposite direction.

It wasn't like him to usual chicken out, but he knew when he was out matched. And oh, was he out matched indeed.

At least twelve members of the gang were there, and none of them seemed scared of him. Which was never a good sign, mostly everyone in Ikebukuro feared him.

Taking a sharp turn, he skidded on the side walk slightly, hoping that'll deter them at least a little.

They didn't let up. No matter how fast he ran, which corner he took, the pounding footsteps of multiple people still followed his every move.

He was getting tired, and the more tired he got, the more his vision blurred.

Oh this isn't good, he thought to himself bitterly, shaking his head ferociously to snap away the impending dizziness. 

Of course, doing just that was a big mistake, and only ended with him entering an alley. 

An alley with a dead end.

"Damnit." He bit out, turning around only to find the same members behind them.

They had the decency to look exhausted, but the proud smirks they wore is what made the sinking feeling in his chest worsen.

"Welp, you've cornered me." He shrugs, an indifferent expression plastered onto his features by force. "Now what?" He questioned, putting his hands up in surrender. He still had his flip blade in his pocket, but it would be unwise to pull it out now.

"What I said earlier," the bulky man from early appeared before him, his smirk the proudest of them all. 

Perhaps he's the leader? That would definitely explain it.., he thought to himself solemnly.

"I'm going to kill you." He stalked towards him slowly, seemingly attempting to unnerve him.

Izaya pressed his back against the brick wall behind him, a shaky laugh escaping his throat. 

"I suppose I can see why you would want to kill me," he said, a small smile on his face. "You're not who I was expecting to die from but.. Seeing as you've got me, there's nothing holding you back, is there?" He questioned, his lips quirking in the slightest of ways.

"There isn't." A man in the back agreed, who got similar hums of agreement in response to his words.

"Just as you said." The big boss stopped right before him. He raised his hand, stopping it mere inches from his neck. Izaya eyed it wearily.

So they're going to kill me from asphyxiation?, he questioned to himself, sighing sadly mentally. How utterly boring.

"Any last words?" the boss asked, staring into blood red eyes intensely.

"Yeah," he amended, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Couldn't you think of a less boring way to kill me? You're such a drag."

The man blinked once, twice, before he growled out in anger. 

Izaya knew that he pissed him off, so when he finally clamped his hands around his throat, pulling him into the air so he couldn't escape, he wasn't all that surprised.

Dying from someone stopping the air from traveling through his throat — or Asphyxiation — wasn't how he saw his life ending, but he supposed he could deal with it. After all, he had this coming. 

He wheezed pathetically after a long moment, refusing to acknowledge that he just thought he deserved to die when his mind began to turn hazy.

"He's dying boss, you see him turning blue?" A mobster questioned, laughing hysterically afterwards.

"I see," the boss responded, glee Twinkling in his eyes. "Oh I see indeed."

Just when his vision started dotting into black and white, and he started to kick his feet amidst his struggle, he heard the sound of the boss gasping in shock before he dropped to the ground weakly.

He could barely see, the dots still invading his sight, and could barely hear either given the fact that he was hacking and wheezing in and out air.

When he felt better enough to open his eyes, he scanned the area around him. 

And froze in shock at what he saw.

All the mobsters were obviously taken care of whilst he was slowly dying. Many had bones sticking out where they shouldn't, and others were laying in a heap on the ground. The brick walls surrounding the alley were crumbling slightly, likely because of a large force being slammed into it.

His eyes eventually trained onto the big boss, who was the most messed up. Blood was sliding down his chin, mouth agape. His teeth were shattered, many missing as well. His arms were bent in all the wrong ways. 

They were all alive. Passed out and heavily injured, but alive.

His eyes widened, before they finally landed on what caused all of this. He sucked in a startled breath.

"Shizu-chan?" He questioned, his voice raspy from being nearly choked to death.

"Someone said that they saw you get cornered in an alley way," Shizuo explained, crossing his arms. He looked untouched, as if not a single hair was touched by his almost-murderers. "So I came to investigate, and found you being strangled to death, flea. What the hell did you do to piss them off so badly?!" 

Startled by his voicing rising, he flinched slightly. "Ah, it was nothing really," he attempts to play it off, shuffling into a sitting position, leaning heavily into the wall behind him. "It's nothing that you need to know about, anyway."

He smirks when Shizuo's eyebrow twitches. He was about to make another remark, before something hit him.

"Say, Shizu-chan," he begins, struggling to get up. He ignores Shizuo's snort of amusement directed towards his weak state. "Why did you come and save me, anyway?" 

Shizuo looks shocked by the question, as if it wasn't something he should've expected him to ask, before answering. "I should ask you the same thing."

"Eh?" He replies stupidly, startled. Did he know?

"Shinra-kun told me all about how you saved me when I got shot," Shizuo explains, confusion seeping into every word. "I want to know why. You hate me, I hate you. So why didn't you let me die that day?"

Izaya was quiet for a long time. So long, that he was sure that Shizuo would have a mental breakdown if he didn't grace him with an answer.

Eventually, he did respond. "I don't think I could've bared to see you die that day." He ducks his head, hoping it'll hide his stricken features. "It doesn't matter anyway, Shizu-chan. You hate me, and you're a monster-"

"Do you really believe that?" Shizuo cuts him off, his voice uncharacteristically quiet and patient.

".. I don't know." He admits, burrowing his face into his hands. "I just don't know. What did you do do me, Shizu-chan? What did you do?"

Shizuo doesn't respond immediately. And, when he does, he doesn't answer his question. "Come on, flea, Shinra-Kun is worried about you."

"Huh?" He lifted his face in shock, crimson eyes staring into uncertain Mocha ones. Though they were blocked by his blue sunglasses, he could still see the undeniable emotion in them. "How does he..?"

"I let him know before hand." He responds, walking towards the Raven in easy strides.

Izaya eyes him warily, but doesn't object when he clasps his hand in his own. Gently, he tugs him into a standing position.

Oddly, he doesn't feel as dizzy as he did before, which is a relief within itself.

He snaps out of his thoughts by the blond clearing his throat. He tilts his head upwards, eyebrows creasing in confusion.

"What is it?"

"It's just-" Shizuo starts, "You really don't know the first thing about emotions, do you?"

"Eh?" He responds, offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm still holding your hand," he points out a bit awkwardly. "And you don't care?" He ends it with a question, his eyes wavering slightly.

"Oh." Izaya glances downwards again, seeing his smaller hand intertwined with Shizuo's bigger one. "You're acting strange," he ignores the question, a small smile curling on his lips. "What's going on in your little brain of yours? Did your last brain cell finally give up and die?"

He takes great joy in seeing Shizuo lose his composure for a moment when he growls at him, his hand squeezing his own tightly for a moment, before softening his grip again.

"No, I just realized something is all, flea." He slips his hand out of Izaya's. The raven pretends like he doesn't mind the loss. 

"And that would be?" He asks, following after Shizuo when he turns and heads out the alley.

"You're the one that threw the knife at the gunman two months ago, weren't you?" His voice held total confidence, like he was totally sure he was correct. 

And he was. 

"Ding-Ding-Ding! You are correct, Shizu-chan!" He threw his hands up in cheer, smile slowly becoming more genuine. 

Swiftly, he encased his hand with Shizuo's own, staring dead on into startled Mocha eyes.

"Are you my consolation prize for my jobs well done?" He asks cheekily, grinning when Shizuo sputters in surprise.

"What?! No!" He flailed in place for a moment, never once letting go of his hand, before calming after a moment. "No." He repeats.

Izaya hums in response, grin widening at the shocked and uncomfortable expressions of the pedestrians they walked past when they spotted their entangled hands.

"I suppose this is as good a time as any to tell you I practically saved your life a third time as well?" He questioned, grin dying down to a smile.

"You have?" Shizuo's eyes widened for a moment, before narrowing. "How many times have you..?"

"Only three," he answers quickly when Shizuo trails off. "You're being quite calm. What's the matter?" He asked genuinely, raising an eyebrow in question. His uncharacteristically calm behavior was beginning to creep him out considerably.

"You saved me all those times because you couldn't bare to see my die," he responds after a long moment, his voice holding no lack of uncertainty at all. "But I don't think you know why you couldn't bare to see me die."

"Of course I know why." He answers him immediately, waving his free hand around slowly, noticing Shinra's apartment in the distance. "I'm in love with you. I have been for many years I think. But, I denied it since I saw you as a monster." He says honestly, averting his gaze when he feels his cheeks heat up slightly. "I suppose I don't think that way anymore."

Shizuo's breath hitches, his larger hand squeezing his in incredulity, before he tugs him closer.

Wine red eyes widen in surprise before he softly bumps his head against Shizuo's chest. 

"E-eh?" He stuttered out embarrassingly, cheeks flaring to life once more. "Shizuo, what are you-"

"Shut up." He responds, though his words lack any bite. They sound more embarrassed than anything when his spare arm wraps around his back, pulling him closer.

"Mm," he responds intelligibly, chuckling softly at his actions. "I'm guessing this means that an airhead like you requites my feelings, even after everything I've done?"

Ignoring his jab, the blond merely hums a confirmation in response. 

Although he was surprised by such a revelation, he couldn't help the spark of warmth that flowed in his veins.

"Ok," he hums, tilting his head up. He placed a quick kiss on the mocha eyed mans cheek, watching as the turned red afterwards. "Thank you."

Izaya Orihara saved Shizuo Heiwajima's life three times. 

Shizuo Heiwajima saved Izaya Orihara's life only once. 

But, no matter the amount of times they saved each other, all that mattered in the end was that they found their way to each other through the obstacles they themselves created.


End file.
